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EconPulse

Local economy signal dashboard

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PLACEStable

Van Buren, AR

Stable overall. Federal Funds is the clearest support signal, while jobs needs the most attention. Housing reads as affordable for a median-income household.

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Overall score66out of 100
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69
50
54
77
96

Population

23,763

Data freshness

Unknown

GDP / Output

+4.3% YoY

69

$2.3B

Output changed +4.3% in 2024.

Vintage date unknown

State growth5.7%
U.S. growth5.3%

Jobs

Unemployment rate

50

5.1%

Unemployment is 5.1% for Latest available.

Vintage date unknown

State avg4.1%
U.S. avg5.2%

Population

+0.7% 5-year

54

23,763

Population moved +0.7% over the latest ACS window.

Vintage date unknown

State population3,049,391
U.S. population334,922,499

Housing

Rent share of income

77

16.6%

Median rent consumes 16.6% of median household income: Affordable.

Vintage date unknown

State rent$947
U.S. rent$1.4K
HUD_API_TOKEN missing; ACS median gross rent is used as the housing affordability fallback.

Federal Funds

$7.6K per resident

96

$459.5M

$459.5M in federal obligations flowed here in FY2025.

Vintage date unknown

State total$34.9B
U.S. total$5.3T

Population and output

Trend Snapshot

Reported share

Industry Breakdown

FY2025

Federal Money

Federal obligations

$459.5M

$7.6K per resident in reported federal flow.

Top agencies

Dollars
1. Social Security Administration$344.5M
2. Department of Veterans Affairs$59.8M
3. Department of Transportation$36.0M

Top recipients

Dollars
1. ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$36.0M
2. HEAD START CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES, INC.$4.2M
3. REDACTED DUE TO PII$2.4M

Affordable

Housing Affordability

16.6%

of median income

1BR estimate$695
2BR estimate$915
Median income$61,149
Median home value$181,500

ACS context

Quick Facts

Population

23,763

Median age

36.5

Bachelor's degree+

20.9%

Poverty rate

15.3%

Labor force participation

60.1%

Prime rate

6.8%

CPI YoY

+3.2%

U.S. GDP YoY

+6.5%

Sources and warnings

Data Provenance

Census ACS 5-year

2024

BLS LAUS / CPS

Latest available

BEA regional CAGDP1

2024

USAspending

FY2025

FRED

2026-07-30

HUD Fair Market Rent

Latest available

Data notes
  • HUD_API_TOKEN missing; ACS median gross rent is used as the housing affordability fallback.

5-year compound growth

Historical Trends

Population CAGR

+0.1%

GDP CAGR

+4.8%

Federal flow

5 years

Population (5 years)
202023,600
202123,213
202223,398
202323,545
202423,763
GDP (5 years)
2020$1.8B
2021$2.0B
2022$2.1B
2023$2.2B
2024$2.3B

2-year linear forecast

Predictive Outlook

Population forecast

202423,763
202523,701 *
202623,767 *

R² = 24.9% · * projected

GDP forecast

2024$2.3B
2025$2.5B *
2026$2.6B *

R² = 99.3% · * projected

Linear regression over available historical data. Projections are estimates based on past trends and do not account for policy changes, economic shocks, or other external factors.

housing affordability breakdown

Cost of Living

Median household income$61,149/yr
Median rent$847/mo
Rent share of income16.6%
Est. mortgage (30yr, 6.5%)$11,013/yr
Mortgage share of income18.0%

Rent data from Census ACS 5-year. Mortgage estimate assumes 20% down, 6.5% APR, 30-year fixed.

employment snapshot

Job Market

Unemployment rate5.1%
State avg4.1%
U.S. avg5.2%
Labor force participation60.1%
Poverty rate15.3%

Data from BLS LAUS / CPS. Latest available.

valuation snapshot

Real Estate

Median home value$181,500
Median monthly rent$847
Price-to-rent ratio17.9x

Moderate price-to-rent ratio — buying and renting are roughly balanced in this market.

composite score

Investment Climate

Investment climateModerate
Composite score61/100
Economic growth69/100
Labor market50/100
Population momentum54/100
Overall stability66/100

Composite score weighs economic growth, labor market health, population momentum, and overall stability. Not financial advice.

Location Context

Van Buren city, Arkansas

City/Town

Part of

Fort Smith, AR-OK

Nearby locations

Dora, ARMoffett, OKKibler, ARFort Smith, ARRemy, OK